Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Is improvement in the quality of life after subthalamic nucleus stimulation in Parkinson's disease predictable?
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) significantly improves quality of life (QoL) in PD. However, QoL fails to improve in a relevant proportion of patients. We studied clinical baseline and progression parameters associated with improvement in QoL after DBS. ⋯ In the postoperative course, changes in the PDQ-39 significantly correlated with the reduction of cumulative daily off time, an improvement on the UPDRS (UPDRS III off), and positive mood changes. Among the baseline parameters, the cumulative daily off time is the strongest predictor for improvement in disease-related QoL after DBS. Improvement in QoL after STN-DBS is also correlated with changes in motor functions and changes in depression and anxiety.